by Donovan Neal
Leto frowned and immediately was sobered by Lucifer’s words. He bowed his head, then fell to one knee and replied, “Apologies, father. Please forgive your servant.”
Lucifer then spoke to Ashtaroth who was still on bended knee. “Rise my friend and leave us. I would have words with my son.”
Ashtaroth did as commanded and walked past Leto who smirked and eyed the angel as he left. The adjutant of Lucifer then spoke to his master. “He has much to learn about respect my king. He is still not fully versed in the ways of old nor of our people. His disdain for authority knows no bounds.” Ashtaroth looked down upon the human displeased as he approached his master.
Lucifer chuckled, “And who would teach him this in this regard? You? He is a brand plucked from the fire. My beloved son in whom I am well pleased. Indeed does his temperament not rival my own? Fear not Astarte. He will learn obedience, and when he is ready. He will rise from Death itself and challenge Christ, yeah mayhap the Father God himself, and when we are done. I will become the true God of the universe. Now leave us.”
Ashtaroth nodded in obeisance and exited the room. And the ruler of darkness stood before his creation and spoke.
“Rise my son and embrace your father.”
Leto arose from his knelt position and walked into the extended arms of Lucifer Draco.
Lucifer rubbed his hair then gently took him by the shoulder and pushed him an arms length from him. “Who am I?” Lucifer inquired of his son.
“You are my maker. You have given me flesh and my veins pumps with your blood.”
“Aye” said Lucifer. “I have nurtured man’s dabbling into artificial life and his ability to clone and have seeded his progress towards making you… my greatest creation. From the very DNA that lined the mouth of Adam have I made thee.” Lucifer then revealed a dried fruit from within the folds of his robes and lifted it before the eyes of his son. “From the knowledge of good and evil doth the saliva of the man’s first bite echo through both time and creation.”
Leto stared upon the fruit and stood in awe. “Is this the actual fruit my forebear bit into?” Even withered the pome shown with a faint luminescence. “A trophy of mine,” Lucifer grinned. “One of many I keep of my skirmishes with El.” Lucifer gloated, and he reflected as his eyes drifted up and he spoke. “Long ago I stood across from my maker, devoted to my king’s service, when he posited me the question of what He should give to his greatest creation. A question I presumed I was the object of. Never realizing until it was too late that he had created a being designed to supplant us. But lo I have meditated on the ways of the Father. For I was the anointed cherub that covered and know Him as none other save God himself could know. I was there when celestial life was made. And I have studied well. I now have come to fulfill the words that Christ once said towards his followers. For I have now become as my master and the servant as his Lord.”
Lucifer then turned to look his son in the eyes and beamed as he spoke. “For I too have created a son. From the same fruit bitten by thy forerunners. With the selfsame fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of good and evil have I preserved to one day use the fabric of El’s own created life against Him. And now behold my creation, my wonderful son. For thou art a new thing, neither fully man nor fully angel. You are my Anti-Christ. A new creation bonded with the genes of mankind and Elohim. But so much more, for your very consciousness hast been imbued with an artificial computational power that would rival my own.”
Lucifer smiled and caressed the cheek of his son, marveling over the being that stood before him. “Yet you are incomplete. For you must yet go the way of all men and demonstrate your true power. The power over Death itself. For I know that Charon hast not encountered the likes of you. But your time is not yet nigh. But soon all will be revealed. But enough of forthcoming plans and that which is yet to come. Stand before me now and report of thy stewardship.”
Leto stood to attention and reported as commanded. “I have secured the support of the voting members of the Security Council. They have been taught to realize that failure to comply with my directives brings with it death. For I have shown them but a glimpse of my power, and for the sake of their own lives and that of their families, and yeah even their countrymen. They know when the time is given to nominate me as Secretary General that if the vote is not in the affirmative for my ascension that they will never leave the assembly alive and all blood lines by which they are named shall be snuffed out from the Earth.”
Lucifer nodded and a smile curled over his lips. “Well done my son…continue.”
Leto beamed in pride and carried on. “I have placed the algorithm you have devised into the systems of the planets computer networks. I have but to speak and my adjutants will cripple all commercial enterprise and bring the industries and technologies of the world to a halt. When I have revealed that the solution to access the locked systems is my encryption code embedded within the block-chain of my temporal lobe. All will yield to me and pay to bring relief to their people.” Leto then lifted his hand and within his palm was a marking in angelic script and it was the number 666.”
The Mark my lord is ready to be unleashed upon command. I will require the whole planet to utilize the encryption key to unlock access to all digital transactions. No man will be able to buy or sell without it. I will have complete control over the economies of the nations and my name… no, we will stamp your name Father in the head and hands of all that live on the earth.”
Lucifer nodded. “Well done, but be still in thy confidence: for power over man’s greed is not power enough to dominate. For total control you must be prepared to destroy the hope that will rise in a vain attempt to defy you. I have foreseen that many a nation will join to rebel against this solution. Each foolish soul yearning to breathe free, to escape bondage to my will. Yea many shall rise to resist the new order we will bring. They will stack themselves against thee but you will go out and meet them in battle and destroy the last hope of men. For it must be that if you are to ascend to heaven; the planet itself must draw the ire of the Almighty such that He will have no choice but to respond. Even now the end has begun; for two humans out of time have been seen preaching near the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. Faces I have not seen for a long time.”
Leto looked upon his creator puzzled and spoke, “There have been humans who have seen your face and lived?”
Lucifer stared afar off and replied, “Aye, two who have escaped death and who in their foolishness hath returned to sport with me. But fear them not. They too shall feel the sting of death. But not before the time appointed.”
Leto nodded quietly still processing the words of his father and he spoke his query. “Father, who is Charon?”
Lucifer looked to his son and his brow furrowed as he stared deep into Leto’s eye. “The last enemy you must overcome before you may ascend to challenge El. Now get thee up and be about my business; for the wrath of God we must further provoke.”
Chapter Four
The Drums of War
Elizabeth Foley rushed to enter Mrs. Blake’s social studies class and promptly made her way to the back of the room to find an empty seat. The slim young lady brushed her brunette hair aside, sat down and hunched inconspicuously in her seat as much as possible. The last thing she wanted was to be bullied again by the Jefferson sisters today. She glanced to see that they were not in class. Probably skipping again, she thought to herself. She didn’t understand why they had it in for her. They were juniors, she a sophomore. So no threat there and they were prettier and more popular. It seemed to Elizabeth that they wasted so much time on her for no reason other than to torment her needlessly. Elizabeth toiled in her mind on what she could have done to offend the twins so much that they made it their life’s duty to torment her.
The 5th hour bell rang and the clock on the wall showed 1:05pm. Soon she could go home. Mrs. Blake broke up her ruminations, “Please turn to page 130 in your textbook. I trust everyone has done the homework and read chapter ten on the d
ifferences between the various world religions?”
Elizabeth opened her book to the required page and saw the comparative religion chart she had been assigned to study. Mrs. Blake then began her daily lecture. Elizabeth struggled to focus but smiled sheepishly to herself she couldn’t get her earlier encounter with Mike Gaines out of her mind. Elizabeth sat quietly in her seat elbow on the desk with her hand under her chin as she replayed in her head her earlier encounter with the handsome Mike Gaines. Elizabeth curled her dark hair around her finger as her mind wandered from comparative world religions to the far more important dreamy Michael Gaines.
“You know I never noticed how pretty you are, humph who knew?” he said offhandedly. Mike looked at her as if he were testing her. Her dark hair flowed down to her shoulders and her olive complexion was sprinkled with acne which she continuously fought in vain to keep at bay. Like many of the sophomores that eyed him. Mike smiled with a coy grin aware that she enjoyed his attention.
“You know you should come by this Friday for the house party I’m having. I know I don’t normally see you at any of the other house parties but it’s all good. There’s no reason I can’t introduce you to some seniors. Hey here’s an invitation. If you get to come just flash this and tell them Mike sent you.”
Elizabeth blushed and giggled at his comment. The senior high school president was seemingly not just inviting her to a party but was also now interested in her!
“Yeah, I’ll come. That’s awesome Mike, thanks for inviting me!” Elizabeth giggled as she lowered her gaze and caught Mike catching her blush once more.
“It’s all good,” he said. “Hope to see you Friday.”
Elizabeth waved goodbye and turned to walk away, beaming in delight that perhaps after months of being bullied by the Jefferson sisters and feeling so out of place at school. She might have actually now found her social bearings. She turned around to see Mike staring at her bottom. She quickly turned her head blushing even more; her eyes nervously rolled around in her head in both disbelief and giddy excitement.
Elizabeth suddenly realized that her elbow shifted and that the book she had opened slid off her desk, and with it her papers tumbled in a scattered mess on the floor.
Mrs. Blake’s voice was quick to comment on her daydreaming, “Ms. Foley I’m sorry if I am boring you. But please pay attention. Now if you would be so kind as to pick up your things from the floor and rejoin the class in the here and now.”
Elizabeth's eyes darted to the other students who were smiling or sniggering at her. She scampered to grab her things and slouched into her seat to retreat into her makeshift cocoon and replied. “Sorry Mrs. B.”
Mrs. Blake shook her head with a disapproving scowl and resumed her lecture. “As I was saying Christ is the central figure in the Christian religion. While we can indeed find many tenants or teachings that are similar in other religions: what is unique about Christianity is that its claims rest on the actual resurrection of its founder. Unlike the other monotheistic religions such as Judaism and Islam, neither purports that its founder is still alive or claims to have been resurrected from the dead. The historical question of Jesus’s claim to be God and his bodily resurrection is the foundation upon which the whole of Christendom is founded.”
Elizabeth took her eyes off the chart showing those things unique to various religions of the world and saw it was now 1:50pm and that the bell would ring soon to release for the day. Then she fell back in her seat as she realized that when she turned around Michael Gaines had been looking at her still as she walked away and thought to herself with a sheepish grin.
Oh, my gawd! Was he staring at my ass?
She giggled at the prospect of kissing Mike. The bell suddenly rang and she and the class quickly launched themselves to escape Mrs. Blake’s lecture and she hurried to her locker to grab her book bag and run home.
✽✽✽
And the time had come that when the General Assembly of the United Nations had convened for the sixty sixth time. That Leto sat with the delegation from France. Men and women from every tribe of man assembled themselves in the great hall to determine who among them would next be the leader to the nations of the Earth. The assembly then adopted by acclamation a resolution to appoint Leto Alexander as the sixteenth Secretary General of the United Nations.
Applause erupted through the room and Leto approached the podium to accept his post and set himself to speak. Teleprompters were to his right and left: ready to relay his prepared remarks.
“To my distinguished colleagues, esteemed members of the security council, and to all the people of the world. It is with great honor I stand before you now to carry on the tradition of advocating for peace and to stand as a symbol of United Nations ideals; ideals that exist to serve humanity's interests as a spokesperson for the interests of the world’s people. And thus it is with a deep sense of stewardship and humility I accept your nomination as your secretary general.”
Applause and cheers echoed throughout the great assembly and all rose to their feet in ovation. “Here, here!” echoed throughout the room. For at last many held the belief that before them stood a man of the people who represented the best in the world. Leto raised his arms and gestured with his hands for the audience to be seated.
“Please,” he said. “I thank you for you trust in me and it is an immense comfort to know your support will help me in fulfilling my formidable duties to serve. Yet I must confess I also stand before you in great trembling and fear. For this is also an occasion where I must now function in one of the saddest duties of my office, and that is to inform the security council and the world of an existential threat that threatens to undermine all that we hold dear. To finally reveal with my accession: a truth that my staff in Europa have confirmed: a truth that even now is making its way into the hands of government leaders as we speak. The truth ladies and gentlemen; that we are under threat by nothing less than an intelligent species that seeks our demise.”
A media handler at the UNbroadcast booth whispered, “He’s off script. Kill the prompter. He’s off script something's going on.” News outlets which had been given a version of the speech earlier scrambled to retract editions of papers and redo already prepared broadcasts.
Meanwhile gasps and echoes escaped from the mouths of many in the UN chambers, audible laughter and chuckles could be heard from some. Yet the chamber slowly fell into a deafening silence as Leto waited for them to finish in their initial reactions as all realized that Leto was deadly serious, and everyone looked on both focused and flabbergasted. Leto looked upon them all tight-lipped and his stoic face nodded and communicated they were not victims of some cruel hoax or joke but that the words he spoke were belief filled. The fog of his revelation hovered heavy over the crowd, a fog only dissipated by the resumption of his words.
Leto continued, “We have been a people deceived. From as far back as recorded history we have been the pawns in an invisible struggle for both dominion and our domination: dominion, over a throne which has been until now outside the realm of our reach and beyond our capacity to see or understand. But we lack this capacity no more. For humanity has now eclipsed the restraints imposed upon us and we shall no longer be pawns in a war of beings who walk among us to our hurt.
Many of you now look upon me confused, even skeptical. For you ask yourselves, with what proof do I have that my words are true? What evidence do I present before this body to substantiate the veracity of that which I speak? It is a fair and predictable question for which I have anticipated: the answer of which I display before you all now.”
Leto then gestured and a blue curtain drew back to reveal an Ophanim chained with fetters of iron and arcs of energy surrounded the creature as if it was held within a cage of electrified plasma. The creature when it saw the multitudes that looked upon it. Roared and its gears and wings rotated in fury and gushes of wind swept over the crowd, papers whirled off desks and many placed their hands over their faces to protect themselves from the dust
that swirled into the eyes of all present. Many leapt from their seats in fear and hastened a quick retreat to the chamber's exit. Security lifted their weapons training them on the creature if it broke from its restraints. The creature then rose and its frame touched the electrified barrier and sparks flew within the voltaic cage and it howled in both pain and rage and then settled back to the ground and growled its displeasure.
“Yes, see the creature that I have tamed. But this is but one, one of a great many, that play chess with humanity as tokens in their invisible celestial game.”
“But I fear that this revelation is but the beginning. For it is also true that a realm is indeed aflame with the living souls of our kind. Hell as we have been taught for centuries is indeed a place that is real. Our families and friends, fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters rot in a prison that I vow shall be breached. I tell you that the myth of Hell is a reality, and I have seen what awaits us in the afterlife. A life of consumption by a creature created by a being; whom in his alleged benevolence secretly builds invisible armies and manipulates our kind. It is an engine that both fires and feasts off the horrors of mankind’s greatest fears. And the cult of Christians which we have lifted in preeminence in our world: have known this truth.”
“Yes, Christianity: a religion that many in this room have embraced. A religion: that enables our servitude to their God. A group of people who in their naiveté spread this cancerous lie: that a God lives in Heaven and He watches over man to his good. This is a falsehood and a treacherous and systemic lie to weaken humanity. For our wars have been naught but the ravaging of these beings over us: their invisible presence; merely pollinating and flowering humanity’s dissension. Invisible creatures, which have continually undermined our cognizance that we are one people: and why? Because, they fear us. They fear what we may become. And for good reason are we seen as a threat. A menace that if truly unleashed could threaten their way of life. But I as your leader I commit to you that we will free them of this fear. We will free them by robbing them of their ability to control us any longer. For they have thought to nurture us after their kind and after their likeness; all that we might be but chattel to be used and then thrown away. But I will NOT be chattel. I will not surrender my will to this so-called God. Nor will I allow mankind to be a slave to the whims of creatures who in their cowardice hide in the shadow of our presence. I refuse to cow to this so called benevolent deity who puppeteers events to our destruction. This God who is present, and yet the cause of storm and rain, war and pestilence: and for what? All that our population might be thinned, and our species progress curtailed? All that we may never rise to threaten this God? But no longer. For a threat we now are, and a plague we shall be unto those who have made us but entertainment and food to nurture their own good.”